Spring Flash Fiction Contest

Mar. 25, 2014 11:23 AM

Want to be a published author? Enter the Spring Flash Fiction Contest

In celebration of spring, we are holding a fiction-writing contest. A panel of judges will select three reader-submitted stories to be published in the Life & Arts section beginning April 6.

All entries must begin with "A strange glow appeared in the sky over Battle Creek." From there, let your imagination run wild! Winners will be chosen based on originality, creativity, story development, and spelling and grammar accuracy.

Open to all writers ages 13 and older. Entries should be no more than 550 words.

Email Submission: Send your entry by email to akelley@battlecreekenquirer.com no later than 5 p.m. on March 20, 2014. Remember to include your full name, age and contact information.

Mail Submission: You can mail your entry to Annie J. Kelley, Spring Flash Fiction Contest, 77 E. Michigan Ave., Battle Creek, MI 49017. All mailed entries must be postmarked on or before March 20, 2014 and received no later than March 22, 2014.

For more information, call 966-0675. For complete rules, look below.

OFFICIAL RULES

1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING. SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

2. Eligibility. Subject to the additional restrictions below, the Spring Flash Fiction Contest (the “Contest”) is open to U.S. residents of Michigan who are 13 years or older at the time of entry. Employees and contractors of the Battle Creek Enquirer (“Sponsor”), Gannett Co., Inc., and each of their respective affiliated companies, and advertising and promotional agencies, and the immediate family members of, and any persons domiciled with, any such employees, are not eligible to enter or to win. The children and legal dependents of employees or contractors of the Sponsor, Gannett Co., Inc., and each of their respective affiliated companies, and advertising and promotional agencies, and the immediate family members of, and any persons domiciled with, any such employees, are not eligible to participate in the Contest.

3. How To Enter. The Contest will begin on Feb. 27, 2014 and end on or about April 20, 2014. You may submit your entry beginning at 12:01 a.m. (E.T.) on Feb. 27, 2014 and ending at 5 p.m. (E.T.) on March 20, 2014 (the “Contest Entry Period”).

To enter, visit the official contest page at www.BattleCreekEnquirer.com/Flash during the Contest period for information about the entry requirements. Enter by submitting an original fictional story that starts with “A strange glow appeared in the sky over Battle Creek”. You must include your name, address (including city, state, zip), age, and email address. All stories must be the sole, original work of the Contestant, in English, and must be limited to 550 words or less. Judges may disqualify previously published essays or those that have won previous awards or competitions. Limit one (1) entry per person. Email Submission: Send your entry by email to akelley@battlecreekenquirer.com no later than 5 p.m. on March 20, 2014. Mail Submission: You can mail your entry to Annie J. Kelley, Spring Flash Fiction Contest, Battle Creek Enquirer, 77 E. Michigan Ave., Battle Creek, MI 49017. All mailed entries must be postmarked on or before March 20, 2014 and received no later than March 23, 2014. By entering, you agree to the terms of these Official Rules and to receive e-mails from Sponsor or those directed by Sponsor. You can opt-out of the receipt of such e-mails by following the directions on the Sweepstakes website or in any email received from Sponsor. Sponsor will not be responsible for incomplete, lost, late, misdirected, or illegible entries, or entries that exceed the 550 word limit, or for failure to receive entries due to transmission failures or technical failures of any kind, including, without limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with sender or Sponsor. Ad blocking software on your computer needs to be disabled so that it doesn’t interfere with processing your entry. All entries become property of Sponsor and none will be returned. Contestants acknowledge and agree that Sponsor shall have the right to edit, adapt, modify, reproduce, publish, promote, create a sound recording of, broadcast, or otherwise display or use entries in any way it sees fit without limitation or compensation to Contestants. Sponsor further reserves the right to disqualify any entry that is alleged to infringe on any third-party’s intellectual property rights, or that Sponsor deems obscene, offensive or otherwise inappropriate for viewing by a general audience.

By entering, you agree to the terms of these Official Rules and to receive e-mails from Sponsor or those directed by Sponsor. You can opt-out of the receipt of such e-mails by following the directions on the Sweepstakes website or in any email received from Sponsor.

4. Winner Selection. A panel of qualified judges, selected by Sponsor, will judge all eligible entries according to the following criteria: 50% creativity and originality of essay, 50% clarity of writing, including story development, spelling and grammar accuracy. The ratings scale for each criterion will range from one (1) to ten (10), with ten (10) being the best score. Judging will conclude within 2 weeks after the end of the Contest Period and the three (3) Contestants with the highest cumulative scores will be designated the Winners. In the event of a tie, tied entries will be re-judged on the same criteria listed above. Decisions of judges and Sponsor shall be final and binding in all respects.

5. Prizes and Odds. Three (3) Winners will each have their story published in April 2014 edition of “Life & Arts”. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received.

6. Winner Notification and Acceptance. Winners will be notified on or about March 27, 2014, at the email address provided on winner’s entry form. Return of prize notification as undeliverable or failure of winner to respond to the email notification may result in disqualification and an alternate winner may be selected from among all remaining eligible entries. Winners may waive their right to receive prizes. Prizes are non-assignable and nontransferable. No substitutions allowed by winner. Prizes and individual components of prize packages are subject to availability and Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. Winners are solely responsible for reporting and payment of any taxes on prizes. Winners may be required to complete an affidavit of eligibility/liability certifying that the Contestant’s submission is Contestant's original work, that Contestant owns right to the work, that the submission has not previously won an award or prize in a contest and has not previously been published, and that Contestant has complied with the Official Rules of the Contest, and a liability and publicity release (except where prohibited by law) which must be returned within the time period specified by Sponsor. Failure to sign and return the affidavit or release or to comply with any term or condition of these Official Rules, may result in a winner’s disqualification, the forfeiture of his or her interest in the prize, and the award of the prize to a substitute winner. Except where prohibited, acceptance of any prize constitutes winner’s consent to the publication of his or her name, biographical information and likeness in any media for any commercial or promotional purpose, without limitation the Internet, or further compensation. Prizes not won and claimed by eligible winners in accordance with these Official Rules will not be awarded and will remain the property of Sponsor. Prizes won by minors will be awarded to parent or legal guardian who must sign any affidavit or release required by Sponsor.

7. Participation. By participating, contestants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify persons found tampering with or otherwise abusing any aspect of this Contest as solely determined by Sponsor. In the event the Contest is compromised by tampering or other causes beyond the reasonable control of Sponsor which corrupts or impairs the administration, security, fairness or proper operation of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest. Should the Contest be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, Sponsor reserves the right to award prizes based on the entries received before the termination date. In the event of a dispute, all online entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the owner of the ISP account from which they were sent. For these purposes, an ISP account holder shall mean the natural person assigned to such ISP account by the Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning ISP addresses for the domain associated with such ISP account. Any questions regarding the number of entries or the owner of an ISP account shall be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, and Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entries or votes by persons determined to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the Contest.

8. Copyright. By entering the Contest, each contestant grants to Sponsor an exclusive, royalty-free and irrevocable right and license to publish, print, edit or otherwise use the contestant’s submitted entry, in whole or in part, for any purpose and in any manner or media (including, without limitation, the Internet) throughout the world in perpetuity, and to license others to do so, all without limitation or further compensation. Each contestant further agrees that if his/her entry is selected by Sponsor as the winning entry, he/she will sign any additional license or release that Sponsors may require, and will not publicly perform or display his or her submission without the express permission of Sponsors.

9. Construction. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any such provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable, these rules shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or unenforceable provision was not contained therein.

10. Sponsor. The Spring Flash Fiction Contest is sponsored by the Battle Creek Enquirer. The decisions of Sponsor and the Contest judges regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the Contest shall be final and binding in all respects. Sponsor will not be responsible for typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in these Official Rules or in other materials relating to the Contest. For a list of winners (available after April 13, 2014) or a copy of these Official Rules, visit www.battlecreekenquirer.com or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to “Winners List/Official Rules” (as applicable), Spring Flash Fiction Contest, Battle Creek Enquirer, 77 E. Michigan Ave., Battle Creek, MI 49017. If you have any questions regarding this Contest, please contact Annie J. Kelley, 269-966-0675 or akelley@battlecreekenquirer.com.